Southern California -- this just in

Two dead in apparent landlord-tenant dispute

A simmering dispute between a Westside landlord and tenant turned deadly Saturday when a 56-year-old man allegedly shot his landlord to death, then killed himself, authorities said.

Los Angeles Police Officer Sara Faden said officers responding to a call for an ambulance in West Los Angeles early Saturday found Alphonse Bernardin Jr., 80, with two gunshot wounds to the chest. Faden said Bernardin was inside his home in the 2400 block of Colby Avenue and was pronounced dead at the scene.

The body of the younger man, whose name has not been released, was found just outside the home’s back door. The man had a single self-inflicted gunshot wound to the head and a 9-millimeter handgun beside him, Faden said.

“The suspect was renting a converted garage in back of the home and in recent weeks, there seems to have been some sort of ongoing landlord-tenant dispute,” she said.

The landlord also may have been taking steps to evict the tenant, Faden said.